Choo-Choo! (1932)

Director:

Robert F. McGowan

Writers:

Hal Roach (story)
H.M. Walker (dialogue)

Release Date:

7 March 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Short

Plot:

The gang trades places with a group of orphans about to take a train ride. |

Plot Keywords:

Sleeping Car | Pullman Berth | Train | Orphan | Our Gang

Cast

Wally Albright
Sherwood Bailey	...	Spud
Eddie Baker	...	Officer
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Stymie
Harry Bernard	...	Pullman conductor
Georgie Billings
Baldwin Cooke	...	Extra on train
Dorothy DeBorba	...	Dorothy
Estelle Etterre	...	Dorothy's mother
Budd Fine	...	Passenger
Otto Fries	...	Inebriated novelties salesman
Donald Haines
Oliver Hardy	...	Inebriated novelties salesman yelling as bear licks his face (voice)
Belle Hare	...	Dorothy's mother
Dell Henderson	...	Mr. Henderson
Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins	...	Wheezer
Kendall McComas	...	Breezy Brisbane
George 'Spanky' McFarland	...	Spanky
Lyle Tayo	...	Secretary
Harold 'Bouncy' Wertz	...	Bouncy
S.D. Wilcox	...	Pullman conductor

Directed by
Robert F. McGowan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hal Roach		story
H.M. Walker		dialogue

Produced by
Robert F. McGowan	....	producer
Hal Roach	....	producer

Cinematography by
Art Lloyd

Film Editing by
Richard C. Currier

Music Department
Leroy Shield	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

USA:20 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Trivia:

First appearance of Wally Albright in Our Gang. He didn't become a regular until ‘Hi’-Neighbor’ almost 2 years later.

Movie Connections:

Remake of A Pleasant Journey (1923)

THE ORPHAN TRAIN FROM HELL

Without a doubt, CHOO-CHOO has to be one of the finest LITTLE RASCALS ever made. During a stopover, some orphans convince the gang to take their place on the train that's taking them to their new home. The gang manages to make the train ride a living hell for the prissy, child-hating Mr. Henderson, (played by Del Henderson) who is assigned the unenviable task of shepherding the "orphans" to their final destination. There is enough mayhem here to rival any 3 Stooges short-perhaps this was inspired by the Stooges themselves who were as popular during this period. There is not one wasted performance here-Wheezer, Stymie, Sherwood, and Breezy, and of course Spanky, who steals the show without a single word of dialog, socking Henderson in the nose. Henderson's response ("Nice boys don't do that!") earns him another bop in the face. The mayhem accelerates as a drunken novelty salesman passes out noisemakers to the gang in the sleeper car. Things then go from bad to worse when Stymie and a monkey in the freight car release a menagerie of animals into the sleeper section of the train. One can tell that everyone involved in the making of CHOO-CHOO must have had a great time doing it-and it shows.

Rating: ***** stars out of *****

Just a little sidenote- sometime ago, Cabin Fever Entertainment released the Little Rascals series on video, digitally remastered in their original, uncut format as they were meant to be seen. Fortunately, this does not include the post-Hal Roach OUR GANG comedies featuring Mickey, Froggy, and Janet Burston. This was when the series went way downhill, a far cry from TEACHER'S PET, DOGS IS DOGS, FREE WHEELING, etc.